Vacation

I am on vacation this week. If I feel like it, I might blog. However, I think I’m more interested in relaxing. Check back and we’ll all see.

Book Review - The Shape of Mercy

This book was read and reviewed by Kelly.

I have had the opportunity to read a new book that is coming out soon. It is The Shape of Mercy by Susan Meissner.  I was given a copy of the book to read and one to give away.  More details to come after the review. First, the book’s summary.

        Women of all ages will appreciate this highly-readable, layered, and fast-paced story about self-discovery at all stages of life. With rich undertones of intrigue and romance, this contemporary novel with a historical twist explores personal blinders and how upbringing and conditioning can shape people to judge others in ways that can lead to unhappy consequences.
        Lauren Durough is a college student who finds herself on the road to self-discovery as she is hired by octogenarian Abigail Boyles to transcribe the journals of Mercy Hayworth, a seventeenth-century victim of the Massachusetts witch trials. Almost immediately, Lauren finds herself drawn to this girl who lived and died four centuries ago. The strength of her affinity with Mercy forces Lauren to take a startling new look at her own life, including her relationships with Abigail, her college roommate, and a young man named Raul. But on the way to the truth, will Lauren find herself playing the helpless defendant or the misguided judge? Can she break free from her own perceptions and see who she really is?
        Readers will identify with Lauren’s struggle to break away from society’s expectations and her attempt to strike out on her own while figuring out what parts of her own story to hold on to.

I really enjoyed reading this book.  The author does a great job of getting you hooked on the story. I enjoyed how the stories of the three women are interwoven and how Mercy's journal brings them all together.  The story is very well written and it does not end as you would expect which leaves you wanting to know more of what happens to the characters.

Lauren's struggles in the book are believable and most can easily relate to them.  It left me thinking about how my own upbringing has shaped the way I view the world.  Not that it is a bad thing, but it is important not to fall into a pattern of thinking that may cause you to think negatively.  I know that others will enjoy reading this book as much as I did.  

The contest will work pretty much the same as previous ones. Leave a comment and you are automatically entered to win. We will draw a winner this coming Saturday, October 18th.

If you don’t win, you can always buy the book here on Amazon.

The Winners

In case anyone desires to know our high tech way of picking a winner, here it goes. We wrote names on slips of paper. I shook them up. My wife reached in and picked out two without looking. That was about it. Anyway, thanks for the comments and don’t forget tomorrow’s book giveaway.

The winners of the “For Young Men Only” books were Nick and David. Yeah, I know they’re both in my youth group. Part of me even thought of rigging the election to make sure one of the books traveled beyond my church, but to play fair to all involved, we did it completely random.

So congratulations Nick and David.

Tonight

Don’t forget that tonight we will be drawing for the book giveaway. I’ll post the winners this evening after my youth service. Also, don’t forget that I will be posting Kelly’s review of another book on Wednesday. There is a giveaway with that one too.

Catching My Breath

I need to write a blog entry. I should write a blog entry. I even have a great thought for an entry. But, I’m tired. Blog entry will wait.

More Book Giveaways

I’m trying really hard to push my blog out to more people. Not that I have anything incredible to write, but for the giveaways. In the weeks ahead I will be reviewing several new books and giving away free copies of them. Next week will be a book written for young men. After that there will be a work of fiction reviewed by none other than my wife Kelly. If all goes well, other books will be following those.

So what am I asking? Please tell others about my little old blog here. I’d really like to see next weeks book for young men travel a little farther than my own youth guys.

What do you get? Uhh....not much really. Satisfaction from helping others? Maybe. Knowledge that you’re helping me get closer to achieving one of my life goals (500 blog visitors in one day)? Possibly. Okay, at least do it for the chance for a free book.

And just so it’s clear, I fully realize that the less people you tell the better your odds of winning. Show a little love though.